Introduction

Serpent is pleased to announce the release of the Serpent 966, the next stage in the development of the highly successfull 960 platform.

The new rear-end parts in the car together with the new brake-system are the main changes, but many other small and bigger changes have been made.

Below all details are shown, step by step.

Chassis Plate

The backbone of the car is the chassis plate, which has been CNC-machined from extremely stiff american 7075 T6 - 5mm aerospace-quality aluminium and sports a wide front opening to adjust the front anti-roll bar. A cooling slot under the engine helps aid temperature control while chamfered edges prevent the chassis from catching on kerbs giving it better overall ground clearance on the track. It houses the battery pack, which is mounted into the newly-designed carbon fibre battery mounting plate and is held in place by four screws, screwed directly into the chassis plate itself. This new 966 plate has also been machined to accept the optional front stiffener plate.

Brake-system

The brake system ensures strong and efficient stopping power. The brake pads consist of two steel plates with the friction material pre-baked to the plates, and the brake disk is made from twin ventilated discs with an air-cooling alu centre.

The new braking system sits lower in the car to help LCG. The system is easily accessable for maintenance, due to its very open design.

The spring-loaded bar-pads slide on polished steel pins and are activated through the ball-raced brake cam, a large pin moves horizontally to activate the brakes. Due to the horizontal action of the pin, and not the twisting of the brake cam, all distortion in this area is removed and the brake pads are evenly pressed together. The brake cam is supported by ball-bearings for smooth, precise action.

This further adds to the precision and exceptional stopping power of the braking system.

Brake 966

Lower mounted brake-assembly for lower LCG. Spring-loaded brake-plates slides on polished steel shafts. Ready-to-run brake plate/pads assembly with new friction brake material. The ball-raced hard anodized brake-cam push the 2 larger pins which are seated in the aluminium bracket, against the brakeplat, to create very smooth and even pressure to the plate.

Main rear brackets

Anodized, cnc machined, aluminum main rear axle supports with coated alu eccenters; more rigid, better rear axle support for a very true running rear shaft, easy belt-tensioning, easy access for maintenance. With the eccenters you can choose 3 positions for rear- belt tensioning. By removing the eccenter on one side the rear shaft with pulley and belt can be accessed very easily. Main rear supports are machined maximum to reduced weight, but retain rigidness at the same time. Pins are pre-pressed into the bottom of the brackets which then seat into the positioning holes in the chassis. Precise and secure.

Improved RCC Shock Absorbers

The RCC shock absorbers are super-smooth and very easy to build.

Machined from metal and unique in that the shock bodies only open on the bottom half, they are really simple to assemble. They come with a fixed piston and no longer use a diaphragm as with the previous shocks but a foam. The result is an ultra-smooth and air-free shock absorber thanks to the self-bleeding system incorporated into the design.

The seal-package on the shocks is improved ( new x-ring / bushing) and offers better support to the rod. Small change, BIG advantage.

Front Axle

The front axle is made from high-grade aluminium and contains the best quality one-way bearings lubricated with one-way lube. This ensures a consistent drive to the front Spring Steel drive cups.

Front Anti-roll Bar

The Serpent 966 comes standard with an adjustable front anti-roll bar. By rotating the 2 blades, you can easily adjust the stiffness. Centering with an improved adjuster eccentric.

Front Bumper and Body Mount

The front body mount of the Serpent 966 is screwed down along with the bumper, which allows for some flex in the body post mounts whilst maintaining the stiffness of the overall assembly. The body mount is held further through two screws mounted from the side.

As with the rear roll centre, the front roll centre can also be easily adjusted. The adjustment is done by removing the front upper suspension brackets and inserting spacers below the brackets and then re-attaching them to the car.

The 966 comes with anodised aluminium front upper suspension brackets that are machined from a single piece of aluminium. These attractive pieces are extremely strong and offer great protection in the event of a heavy impact. The other great advantage of this part is that due to the use of inserts, with an offset hole, you can now adjust the pivot position of the upper front wishbones.

Another nice design feature is that the same front suspension bracket can be used on both the left and right sides of the car.

Steering Blocks

These Wide offset (WOS) steering blocks can be used in 2 different configurations by swapping the side of the car they are mounted on. These changes, depending on the side the steering blocks are used on, will either give you more turn in on corner entry, or more on power steering at corner exit.

The included eccenters ensure that the axle is raised higher than centre line, which enhances the effect caused by this new configuration and due to the use of eccenters the bearings are now also smaller and lighter, reducing un sprung weight.

Front Suspension

The front anti-roll bar levers, that are combined with the down stops allowing for easier tweak. They placed inwards, inside the bearing-blocks, which makes them more effective due to less flex. The front lower arms accommodate the front anti-roll bar position.

Adjustable Front Belt Tension

A great feature is the ability to adjust the tension of the front belt. The simple-to-use bearing eccentric holders allow for quick and easy setting.

Front Shock Tower

The front shock tower of the Serpent 966 is made from 3mm carbon fibre, which makes this part ultra crash resistant. The front shock tower also features two shock mounting positions to enable you to fine tune your car for any track conditions.

Driveshafts / wheelaxles

Serpent use only the highest-quality drive train in their cars. The 966 car comes supplied with the finest Spring Steel drive shafts capable of withstanding constant punishment; these shafts are ultra durable and very stiff allowing you to put all your power to the tarmac.

Front CVD and rear regular dogbones.

Made from Spring Steel, the front and rear wheel axles are very durable and ultra strong. They are a precision fit for the main bearings when mounted with the supplied shims to ensure a tight precise wheel fit. The front axle also makes up part of the CVD shafts that are included in this kit and can therefore be used with both the supplied quick release system or the optional wheel nuts.

Pivot Balls

Made from Spring Steel, these polished 8.5mm pivot balls are virtually unbreakable and ensure the smoothest suspension movement possible.

Adjusting nut for pivot balls

These adjusting nuts are made from Nylon and replace the previous aluminium nut with plastic insert which will not only makes assembly easier, it also reduces un-sprung weight. Reducing the parts used at this point also reduces side play so it makes for a more precise handling car and because the material used is self-lubricating the movement of the pivot ball will remain smooth throughout use.

Aluminium middle bracket

The Serpent 966 comes supplied with an aluminium middle bracket as standard. Replacing the standard composite version, the new part is much stiffer and so reduces flex in this axle which prolongs the life of the belts and pulleys.

Radio Plate Support Bracket

The radio plate support bracket, placed directly in front of the engine, also acts as the mounting point for the roll over bar. The roll over bar is shaped in such a way that it optimizes the car's weight distribution when in your hand.

Battery Mounting Plate

The carbon fibre battery mounting plate has been designed to be able to accommodate many different battery pack configurations, including the traditional 5 cell pack. The battery mounting plate is made of a 2mm black carbon fibre and is mounted to the chassis plate by four countersunk screws.

Chassis Stiffeners

Another feature is the two carbon-fibre side mounted chassis stiffeners. These plates form a strong bridge between the front and rear section of the 960, and are mounted directly to the radio plate bracket and to the rear bulkheads. They increase the chassis stiffness, an essential condition to make effective use of the sophisticated suspension adjustment options.

The left chassis stiffener doubles as a belt-tensioner holder to with a longer slot to enable changes.

Throttle Servo Mounting

The 966 offers two possibilities for the mounting of the throttle servo, first of which is the the traditional stand-up throttle servo layout. To lower the cars centre of gravity there is also an option to mount the throttle servo in a lay down configuration. This moves the heavy motor and other parts of the servo lower and to the inside allowing for better weight distribution and C of G.

The lay down throttle servo assembly has been designed to fit in the standard servo mounting space, thus enabling the easy change over between configurations. If you decide to use the traditional upright mounting, you can mount the receiver next to the throttle servo. Otherwise the receiver is in its standard place on the left side of the radio plate.

Fuel Tank

Serpent have supplied the 125cc fuel tank with a new silicone rubber seal for the AFL fuel tank lid that prevents leakage and thus provides more consistent engine performance. Made from silicone rubber, the new seal has been shaped to create a perfect seal around the opening of the tank and allowing the tank lid to close fully.

The tank is made from a newer stronger material. The milky white coloured tanks have more resistance to shattering in the event of a heavy impact and changes to the lid pivot pin position further ensure a perfectly sealed tank. The new material is also less heat sensitive and will keeps it shape better also when hot.

The tank offers the option to mount small spacers inside to fine-tune the volume.

Receiver Mounting

The receiver on the Serpent 966 can be mounted in two different positions, depending on whether you choose the laydown throttle servo mounting or the traditional upright throttle servo mounting.

If you mount the throttle servo using the laydown configuration, the receiver is mounted on the left side of the radio plate, between the fuel tank and the exhaust system.

If you mount the throttle servo using the traditional upright configuration, the receiver (and protective cover) can be mounted next to the throttle servo.

The benefit of these alternative mounting positions is that it offers choices for electronics placement, as well as options for eliminating any recurring interference issues that may occur.

Steering Servo Mounting

The steering servo is mounted on the right side directly to the bottom of the radio plate and hangs free from any other item. The steering system uses a centrally mounted servo-saver, which features adjustable spring tension and comes with four Ackerman options, through the use of inserts, to help fine-tune the 966 steering characteristics. Adjustable steel track rods with left and right threads are standard.

Rear Axle

Made from Spring Steel, the solid rear axle is very durable and ultra strong providing a perfect base to mount the rear drive pulley. A steel pin secures the pulley and an o-ring keeps it in place.

Adjustable Rear Roll Center & Camber Rise

On the Serpent 966 the rear roll centre is adjustable through the use of offset composite inserts, which position the wishbone pivot pins of the lower wishbones.

The rear camber rise can also be adjusted through the same method but on the upper rear wishbone pivot pins. The use of composite inserts means both adjustments can be easily made track side.

Rear Anti-roll Bar

The rear anti-roll bar on the Serpent 960 '08 is ball-raced for extra precision and more accuracy when you change the setting of the, newly upgraded softer, aluminium adjustable anti-roll bar which comes as standard in the kit.

The anti-roll bar push rods have two possible mounting positions on the lower rear wishbones, these providing further tuning possibilities.

Rear Body Mount

The rear body mount on the Serpent 966 can be connected in several different ways to increase or decrease the downforce transmitted from the body to the rear wheels. There are longer body mount arms, that are mounted to the rear uprights at axle level which provides more down force to the wheels. The whole assembly is also free from binding, meaning there is no restriction of the movement on the suspension.

Rear Suspension

The rear end geometry provides excellent rear end grip and provides a very stable car both under braking and at exiting corners. The OS 2 uprights sport small bearings to reduce un sprung weight, 3 upper arm mounting positions and the possibility to use shims for changing the roll centres. Strong lower wishbones with sufficient material around the pivot pin and pivot balls, and the upper arms allow easy adjustment of the camber and camber rise. Longer body mount arms provide more down force to the wheels yet have no binding due to their mounting position.

Rear Shock Tower

The rear shock tower of the Serpent 966 is made from 3mm carbon fibre, which again makes this part ultra crash resistant. The rear shock tower sports 4 shock mounting positions to help you fine-tune your cars handling track side.

Quick Release Wheel System

Quick-changeThis reliable and time-saving system enables very quick tire changes during long distance races, allowing you to get back on the track in as little time as possible.

Drive Belt System

The Serpent 966 uses three Kevlar-reinforced main drive belts, driven by a series of composite pulleys mounted on aluminium pulley adapters. This allows for a very smooth and efficient drive system that can withstand severe punishment.

Engine Mono block

The strong engine mono block that takes advantage of the extra space where the engine is mounted on the LCG (Low Center of Gravity) chassis plate. As well as the benefits of the mono block system, to stop the engine flexing, the block allows the motor to be mounted lower in the chassis by 2mm. Due to the engine being lowered the car is now supplied with a smaller diameter flywheel.

Centax-II Clutch

The Centax-II clutch system features large ball bearings (a 5x13mm and a 5x10mm) as well as a large thrust bearing (5x10mm). This increases durability and provides ultra-free movement of parts. Featuring an externally-adjustable clutch gap spacing method, and an innovative pivoting flyweight system.

The Centax system, invented by Serpent (Ron Ton) in 1992 is since long a standard in the rc industry.

Exhaust Mounting Spring

Using a spring-type mounting wire to isolate vibrations, the spring is attached to the car by means of an aluminium mounting post attached to the radio plate.

Gearbox

The 2-speed gearbox is race proven and is easy to adjust and assemble thanks to its simple design. The gearbox features large ball bearings (a 6x10mm and a 6x13mm) for extra durability and smoother rotation. The gears are mounted to the carriers with three small screws and come in a full range of gears available in combination with pinions for the Centax-II clutch.

Bearings

Supplied with sealed high-quality lightweight bearings throughout, the drive train is very efficient and runs very smoothly.30 bearings in total including 3 one-ways.

Adjustment

The Serpent 966 is a top-level competition racer and is therefore fully adjustable. The racer can change numerous settings easily and effectively, including the suspension geometry. The down stops can be easily accessed and easily adjusted with optimum effect. Caster, track-width, toe-in, camber, camber rise, and wheelbase can also be adjusted with ease, as well as the front and rear roll-centre and rear body mount mounting angle.

Adjustable Wheelbase

Due to the front wishbone configuration, it is possible to very easily adjust the car's wheelbase through the placement of 1 upper and lower caster clip on each side of the car.

In the rear you can place shims in front or at the rear of the lower rear wishbones to obtain plus or minus 3mm.

Manuals

To allow you to build your car with the greatest of ease, Serpent supplies a full colour instruction manual, this includes all the exploded views and options to locate part-numbers easily.

The Manual is available to download as a PDF in the 'Downloads' section of this product page.

The Serpent 966 comes in a very small carton box, with full color box-top.